Clove: The Untold Story
by CrookshanksPatronus501
Summary: You don't know me. You think you do. But you don't. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not the enemy. I'm the victim.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

A woman from District Twelve is the reason I came to be. Maddie Abernathy. Sister to Haymitch Abernathy. She decided she was too good for Twelve. She hated it. So, one day, she just left her old life behind. Where did she go, you ask? To District Two. She wanted to go as far away as District One, but she couldn't afford that far of a trip. So she settled for Two.

Yeah, Two. Masonry. Also where the Peacekeepers are trained. My father was a Peacekeeper. My mother- well, all I know is that she fell head over heels for him. Yeah. That... that's not it, though.

My mother watched the reaping in Twelve for the second Quarter Quell. She saw her brother, Haymitch, walk up to the stage, shaking and trembling. She watched as her younger brother fought for his life in the arena. And she hated every second of it. She was just so relived when Haymitch, against all odds, won the Hunger Games, bringing the first ever victory to Twelve.

But then, over a few years, she saw how drunk Haymitch got. She was so upset that the Hunger Games ruined her brother. So, my mother and father worked up a plan. They would find a way to sneak to the Capitol and burn down the president's house, using my father's Peacekeeper getup to their advantage. Needless to say, that was a very crazy idea. It took years to formulate. They were just about to leave for the Capitol when my mother found out she was pregnant with me.

It ruined everything. After I was born, my mother got ill. Very ill. My father got very upset, because, well, he knew my mother would die. So, in anger at the Capitol, one day, he started a fire in the main Peacekeepers' facility. It almost completely burned down. But the fireproof security cameras didn't. He got jailed for life. My mom died from the stress of losing him shortly after he was taken away. She left me a note explaining all of what had happened, and why I didn't have parents.

I was an orphan. I was taken to live with my father's sister. I never let anyone close to me. I was always on my guard. I never wanted anything else to go wrong again. I didn't want to end up like my mother. But, in the end, I guess that in itself just begged for something to go wrong.

You've never heard about my life. You don't know who I am. My name is Carolyn Abernathy. You may know me as Clove. You may know me as a murderer, a liar. Well, I won't say that I'm not those things. But I'm also much more. An orphan. A friend. A lover. A victim. A witness. A tribute. A foolish girl. Well, this is my story.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One:

I hate school. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. Because the idiots who created schools in Two decided, "Hey, instead of just book work, let's make a class where we train kids to kill each other!" Ah, yes. "Training" class. The worst class ever. It's a never-ending test of who would survive in the Hunger Games. And I hated it. I hated to pretend to kill my classmates. It was sick. It was wrong. My mother would hate it too, I'm sure.

Well, today's class was particularly bad. We were put in pairs and we had to fight each other in front of the class and see who would've died first. Using sharp plastic weapons, of course. District Two: the place where EVERYONE CARES about your safety. Not. Anyways.

I was paired with Sheila Burkens. She is _wayyy_ too self-absorbed. And a total blonde. And I hate her. But, of course, I lost. She just HAD to grab the knife before me. And now I have a giant cut on my arm. Dang, that girl could stab! I was in pain and embarrassed about my loss. I ran as fast as I could away from the school.

I ran to a small field near my aunt's house that I always went to when I wanted to be alone. I sat under my aunt's clove tree. I know, that sounds out of place. They're not supposed to grow in a place like Panem. But my aunt imported it from somewhere way far out. She says it's great to make garlic with the buds. I guess it's okay, but I'm not food expert.

So anyways. Under the clove tree. Right. I was sitting there crying. Well, not crying. Sobbing? Sniffling? Allergies? Huh, wait, I don't have any allergies. Okay, not allergies. Let's go with sobbing.

A boy around the same age as me (thirteen, by the way), with blond hair and a determined look on his face walked around nearby, as if looking for something. His eyes fixed on me, and he grinned.

"Hey. Are you alright?" he said in a nice tone.

I eyed him suspiciously. "What's it to you?"

"I... I was just wondering why..." he paused and looked at me more closely. "Wait. Why are you crying."

"Why shouldn't I be? My life is terrible. I'm a failure. I mean, I can't even beat Sheila Burkens, the most stupid girl in all of District Two, in a simple fight!" I put my head in my hands. "Please, go away."

The boy didn't move. "No, I think I'll stay." He sat down next to me. "I know you could've beat her. You could've. I've been watching you for a while. I know you're very skilled at throwing knives."

"That's hardly a skill. And even if I could've beat her, I didn't. I didn't, and now I'll be known as the girl who just wasn't fast enough."

"Quit beating yourself up. You're a great person, I'm sure. You don't have to get so upset over one failure. After all, you can't be successful if you've never known failure, right?"

I looked up at him. "You mean it?"

He smiled. "Yes. The name's Cato, by the way."

I smiled back. "Carolyn."

Cato laughed. "What?" I snapped.

"Carolyn? You don't look like a Carolyn."

"Oh? And what do I look like then, Cato?"

Cato thought for a second. "Well, Carolyn sounds way too... feminine."

"And?"

"You don't look very feminine to me." Cato said. Okay, that made me mad. Very mad.

"What? Do I look masculine, then? Do I strike you as a [i]boy[/i]?"

Cato turned red. "No, no! I didn't mean that! I just meant... well, you don't look girly. And Carolyn sounds really girly."

"Oh? And what do I look like to you?"

"Um... Danger." he stammered.

"Danger? That's hardly a good name!" I spat.

"No, no... Spice. Like, a garlic type... A..." he paused and looked up at the clove tree. "Clove!" He grinned as if he just won the Hunger Games or something. "'Clove'! That's your name!"

"Clove? I don't... I don't think that-"

"Well, do you really want to be stuck as 'Carolyn' forever?" he said.

I considered this for a second. Wow, that did sound pretty stupid and girly. "I- Fine. You win. 'Clove' it is."

Cato smiled. "Well, I probably have to go. See ya later, Clove!"

I smiled slightly as he walked away. I waved. "Bye, Cato!" Wow. I think I just made my first friend.

This was starting to be a good day after all!


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two:

Me and Cato became pretty much best friends from that day on. We'd sit together in class and hang out after school together. Cato knew everything about being a good friend, it seemed, and I was so... reserved. So he also started to teach me to be more likable. More sociable. More... trusting. Needless to say, it was a near-impossible task.

Today, as we were walking home from school together, Cato was teaching me not to jump every time someone talked to me, and I was telling him how untrustworthy almost everyone in Two was.

"Well," Cato stopped walking and fixed his eyes on me. I stopped walking, too. I swear, his eyes are the bluest blue I've ever seen, and they could persuade me to do whatever he said if he wanted to. "Do you think I'm untrustworthy?"

"No, of course not, Cato! You're probably the only one I can trust!"

Cato snorted. "Really? You've known me a week! How do you know I'm not really a violent murderer who befriends people, then sells all their secrets to their enemies, and then kills the people they call 'friends'?"

I chuckled. "Cato, you make me laugh! You're not a killer! You can barely handle the plastic knives in the school cafeteria!"

Cato stopped smiling. "Well, I probably could kill someone. If I needed to."

"Why would you need to kill someone? Why would anyone want to take life away from someone else?"

"To stay alive. The Hunger Games, Clove. The reaping's coming sooner than you think. We'll have to be ready."

"No, we don't. It's a month from now! Plus, our names are only in their once. We'll be fine!" I punched his arm playfully. "Let's keep walking now, slow poke!"

When we were almost at Cato's house, he said something that took me aback.

"Clove, I want to show you something!"

"Really? What is it? Where is it?"

"It's not here. It's in my house."

"Your house...?" Cato lived in the richer part of Two. There is a stupid law against kids under the age of 18 of opposite to go into another kid's house alone. Ah, Two. The District where they trust EVERYONE. Not.

"Oh come on! No one has to know!" Cato pleaded.

"But what if someone sees me?" Memories of my parents flashed in my head. Cato smiled and took off his hat. "A hat? What are you doing, Cato?"

Instead of answering, Cato looked around to make sure no one was looking and pulled me into a dark alleyway. Cato started digging around in his bag for something. I spotted a gleaming pair of yellow eyes in the shadows. It ran out. Ew, it was a rassum!

Rassums are mutations made by the Capitol that were sent all over Two after my dad's rebellious scene. They're a mix of rats, possums, and whatever the heck else. They carry a deadly poison that they spit at anyone who tries to disrupt peace in Two. I tugged on Cato's sleeve. "Cato..."

Cato up at me. "Yes?" I pointed to the rassum. "Oh, that's bad..." He pulled a knife out of his backpack. He handed it to me. "Get rid of it."

I was nervous. "But... I can't kill! And what if it spits poison at me?"

"Oh, come on. You can take it. You only live once!"

"Duh."

"I just mean... ugh, just kill it already."

Slowly and shakily, I brought the knife up to my shoulder. I bent my arm back and threw the knife. It hit the rassum squarely in the heart. I jumped back right as a green liquid exploded from the rassum. Cato looked up. "Good job, Clove. Right in the heart! Now, here." He handed me a ratty T-shirt and very worn jeans. "Take your clothes off." I was taken aback.

"_Excuse me?_"

"Well, another boy can come to my house, but not a girl. So, we need to make you a boy."

"Er, pass."

"Would you rather be caught and arrested?"

I gulped and grabbed the clothes. "Fine. But, please," I gestured out of the alleyway.

"Oh, oh, right." He started out of the alley.

"Wait, your knife!" He looked back at me.

"You might need it. Who knows how many rassums there are in here!" He grinned, turned, and left the alley.

I sighed. I pulled on the baggy clothes. I tucked my hair up into the hat. There was a piece of broken glass on the ground, and I used it to look at myself with it. Well, I didn't look like a boy, but... I didn't exactly look like a girl either. Sighing, I straightened my hat and trudged out of the alley.

I walked up to Cato. "Cato," I sighed. "Cato, I feel extremely stupid."

He turned and regarded me. He grinned. "No, no, you're a perfect boy." He tucked the loose strands of my hair into the hat.

"Gee, thanks. How nice of you."

"Ssshhh." Cato put his finger to my lips. He lowered his voice. "If people hear you talk they'll know you're a girl. So we'll say you're a mute, alright?" I nodded. "Alright then, let's go."

Cato and I walked in silence to his house. When we walked into the door, we were instantly greeted by a woman who must've been Cato's mother. Well, she had most of the facial features, and she had the same blond hair, dazzling blue eyes, and a bright smile to top it all off.

"Who is this?" she asked.

Cato stuttered a bit. "Mom, this is, err... _Clave_." I glared at Cato. "Yeah, Clave. He's my buddy from school."

Cato's mother smiled. "Oh? Did you just switch schools or something? I don't remember ever seeing you..." I stayed quiet and nudged Cato.

"What? Oh, right. Mom, Clave is mute. He, er, he can't talk." Cato stammered. His mother looked totally bought into it.

"Alright, alright." She held out a platter of chocolate chip cookies. "Do you want some cookies, Clave?" I shook my head. "Oh, alright. Well, Cato, you know the rules. I'm going to go out to the store; we need some milk and bread. Be back in a jiff!" She grabbed her jacket and walked out the door. I heaved a large sigh of relief.

"Alright, Cato. What is it you went to all this trouble to show me?" Cato grinned.

"I thought you'd never ask!" He grabbed my wrist and led me up the stairs to a door. He opened the door and we walked up yet another flight of stairs until we were in some sort of attic. Cato walked over to a large chest and pulled it over to where I was standing. "I was looking up here the other day and found something awesome! This stuff used to be my great grandmother's!" He opened up the chest and pulled out some square plastic things with pictures on the front.

"What are those?"

"These are CDs. People used to play music on them!"

I was genuinely confused. "Still not following..."

"So, you'd put one in a CD player-" He pulled a metallic rectangular prism thing out of the chest. He pressed a button on it, and a little door popped up. Cato placed the "CD" inside and closed the door. Nothing happened for a second, then music started to come from the box. I was amazed.

"How did you do that?" I exclaimed.

"I didn't do anything! The machine does the work." he chuckled.

"These 'CDs' are awesome!" Cato stopped the music and put in another CD.

"This one is one of my favorites." There was silence for a second, then I heard robotic-like music. And I heard something else. What was that? A person talking? No, she was singing. I began to hear what she was saying better.

_You shout it loud_

_But I can't hear a word you say_

_I'm talking loud_

_Not saying much_

_I'm criticized_

_But all your bullets ricochet_

_You shoot me down_

_But I get up_

"What is this?" Cato looked at the case.

"I don't know. The case is empty. And all the CD said was 'favorite songs'." He shrugged. "Does it really matter, though?" I decided it didn't. I just sit there listening to the song.

_I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose  
Fire away, fire away  
Ricochet, you take your aim  
Fire away, fire away  
You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium  
You shoot me down but I won't fall  
I am titanium_

We sat and listened to that song for a while until it finally ended.

"So, was it worth it?" Cato asked.

I considered the music for a second. Music was very scarce in Two, it was even illegal. "Yes, yes it was. I loved it." Cato grinned.

"Great."


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three:

I stopped by Cato's house a lot after that day. Of course, every day after school I would dress as _Clave_ once again for that reason. We would listen to all sorts of music. Songs of heartbreak, of love, of hope. The music was so amazing. It was like the singers' every thoughts poured out in each song. I guess that's why music is illegal in D2. Still, as many songs as Cato and I would listen to, we always went back to that first song.

_I am titanium..._

Today, me and Cato, were walking home from school. I was humming that same song. Cato stopped. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" I asked with a sarcastic tone in my voice.

"You know music's illegal. And if you were arrested, can you imagine how boring my life would be?"

"Says the person who has more friends then I ever will."

Cato shook his head. "No, I don't really have many friends. Those people I sit with at school, they're barbaric! All they want to do is be in the Hunger Games. All they want is to kill." He paused. "You're my only real friend, Clove. You're the only person I can stand."

I blushed. We were quiet for a while. Then Cato started to walk towards his house again and I started to follow.

When we were near his front yard, I could tell something was wrong. Cato stopped abruptly and gasped. There were Peacekeepers in front of his house! I was in shock. Cato turned to me.

"Clove, you gotta get away from here! They'll know who you are! You've got to leave!" he told me excitedly. I didn't move. "Clove, did you hear me? Whatever they want, you NEED to go! What if someone tipped them off about you?"

Okay, that goaded me. Reluctantly, I took one last look at Cato, and I ran. Oh, I didn't run away from his house, like he probably thought I did. I ran off and then I turned and ran back silently. I jumped into the bushes near Cato's back door.

I could hear quite a scuffle inside. A door opening forcefully. Lots of feet running in.

"Put your hands up!" I heard an unfamiliar, rough voice inside yell through the house.

"We know you're in there!" I heard another person call.

I propped myself up to look through the back window. The Peacekeepers were storming through the house, looking for someone!

A petite figure walked down the stairs. It was Cato's mom! Her hands were held up and she looked pale and positively ghastly. "What do you want?" she called out hoarsely.

The largest Peacekeeper walked nearer to the stairs. "You're under arrest."

"W...why?"

Another Peacekeeper stepped forward. "A citizen reported hearing music coming from this house."

Cato's mom looked shocked. "What? That's impossible!"

A few Peacekeepers ran down the stairs, holding the chest from the attic in their hands. I gasped. Our music!

The biggest Peacekeeper looked pleased. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He reached into the chest and pulled out the CD player. He turned it on. Instantly, the song that was in my head ever since Cato let me hear it blared out of the player.

_Stone hard_

_Machine gun_

_Firing at the ones who run_

The Peacekeeper chuckled and threw the CD player to the ground. He smashed it many times with the side of his gun. When he was satisfied that it was completely demolished, he kicked the debris aside and laughed.

"You're lying, woman." He smacked Cato's mom with his gun. She fell down but he caught her and pulled her closer. "You know what happens to people who lie to Peacekeepers?" Cato's mom's eyes widened.

"No, please..." she begged.

But it was too late. The Peacekeeper put his gun on her forehead and pulled the trigger. He let her go and she fell on the floor, hard. The Peacekeeper fired at her a few more times. Then, when he was certain that she was dead, he motioned at some other Peacekeepers. They stuffed her in a large sack and dragged her out the front door. Wait, there was something in the front room. _Cato!_

Cato ran in the kitchen, looking ready to kill. He almost lost his head completely when he saw the CD player debris on the floor. He turned, ready to hurt whoever did this. But the last Peacekeeper was walking out, slamming Cato's door behind him.

Cato went psycho. He threw a chair at the door, which shattered as soon as it hit. He threw the table at the stairs. He threw a lot more things, too. The kitchen and front room looked like a downright dump after he was through with it!

After he destroyed those rooms, he sat on the stairway and cried. I instantly felt my heart tugging for him. No one deserved this! I pulled myself out of the bushes and slowly opened his back door. Cato looked up and watched me walk in, then he put his head back in his hands and cried more.

I walked over to the steps and sat next to him. I put my arms around him.

"Go away." he mumbled.

"I saw what happened, Cato. I'm so sorry."

"Go away. Can't you see I'm not presentable right now?"

I didn't move. Cato sat there and cried as I hugged him. I stayed there all night, keeping him company. I knew what had happened to him must've hurt him so much. It might've even change his outlook on life. That's why it didn't surprise me the next day when Cato asked me to come and live with him.

"You're all I have left." he told me.

"Do you even have a place for me to stay here?"

Cato fought back tears. "You can stay in my mom's room."

I considered this for a second. Would I really want to leave my aunt and live with Cato? "Okay, but what about-" I gestured to my _Clave_ getup. "-this? I can't be a boy forever!"

Cato nodded. "Okay. Then you'll be my... er... cousin?"

"Uh, I can't just automatically change who my family is."

"You have, like, one family member left. I have none. We _could_ be related somehow, and not know it. C'mon, it won't be that hard to lie about!"

Me and Cato... cousins? I hated the idea. But, Cato needed someone, or he might go insane. "Fine. We'll be cousins."

Cato faked a half smile. I knew that must've been hard for him, in his current state. But I smiled back. Then he did something strange. Cato leaned forward and kissed me.

It was really quick, only half a second, but his lips were warm and I decided I liked it. "Thanks, Clove. Thanks for everything." he whispered. I nodded, but my head was still light with the taste of Cato's lips still lingering on mine.


	5. Chapter Four

**A/N: It's been so long since I've updated! Ack! Sorry! Just...I've had a bit of writer's block. Anyways, enjoy this next chapter! Remember to review; it makes me happy. :)**

Chapter Four:

In a few weeks, I had pretty much settled into Cato's place like I'd lived there my whole life. Every morning I made our breakfast (a ham-and-cheese omelet for Cato and scrambled eggs for me) and we headed off to school together. And every day after school we came home and played games until dinnertime. After dinner, it was off to bed.

One night, I woke up with a sore throat and went down to the kitchen for a glass of water. I was walking down the stairs when I heard a thumping sound coming from the front room. Instinctively, I grabbed a broom and went to investigate the noise.

It was Cato. He was standing in the middle of the front room, window curtains pulled down and the lights low. But that wasn't the bizarre part.

He was surrounded by wooden chairs, only they weren't chairs. Pillows were tied to the top of them and there was a red circle in the center of each pillow. Two of the pillows had a wide gash in the center, pillow stuffing trailing on the floor. Cato shifted, and I saw the glint of a knife in his hand. I lowered my broomstick

"Cato!" I exclaimed. Cato whirled around to face me.

"What are you doing awake at this time of night?"

"I was going to ask you the same question." Cato looked from me to the knife to the pillow-chairs.

"I'm practicing."

"For what?"

"The Hunger Games."

"This again? You aren't honestly thinking about volunteering, are you?"

"No, I'm just thinking...Well, if one of us gets picked, we have to be ready."

"But we won't get picked!" Cato waved his knife at me.

"You never know."

I sighed. "Give me that." I snatched the knife out of his hand. I walked over to the doorway leading to the kitchen. "Cato, move out of the way."

Cato backed away. I flung the knife and it landed directly in the center of one of the pillows. Cato grinned.

"Not bad, Clove, not bad. But I bet you can't do it twice."

I retrieved my knife, aimed, and, again, hit the center of another pillow. Cato started slow clapping, and I laughed. "Proved you wrong." I walked up to Cato, my hand tracing the side of his face. "Now, you have to promise me you won't volunteer for the Hunger Games. At all. Under any circumstances."

He lifted his hand up to brush mine away. "I promise. But you have to promise me that you'll train with me every day." I sighed, but Cato held up his hand. "No, you need to be prepared. The reaping is just a month away. If you get picked and die, I'll never forgive myself."

"I promise."

And so training started to become our new after school activity. I could sink a knife in any target, dead center, even from across the room, and Cato could behead a pillow-chair in less than two seconds.

A month went and passed, and it was the night before the reaping. Cato helped me with dishes after dinner, then he pulled me in for a big hug. "I love you. You know that, right? And whatever happens, nothing will ever change that."

I stuttered. How was I supposed to respond to that? "Nothing's going to happen to us. Some other people will volunteer and we'll be normal as usual. Tomorrow night we'll come back and eat a big dinner as usual and go to bed in our own beds as usual. Nothing is going to change."

"But it could." he said with a straight face. I sighed and stared in his beautiful blue eyes.

"But it won't." I said, persistent. He sighed and pulled away.

"Well, good night then, Clove. See you tomorrow." He walked up the stairs with a slight slump in his posture.

"I love you too, Cato." I whispered into the empty kitchen.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five:

Clove!" I could hear Cato calling from my doorway, "Time to wake up!"

I pulled my pillow over my head. "Five more minutes, Cato!" I mumbled. I could hear Cato walking towards the bed. He pulled the pillow away from me.

"It's Reaping Day! We have to get ready!" I sighed and rolled over.

"Fine. Get out." Cato nodded and walked out to the hallway, closing the door behind him. I got out of bed and shuffled over to my dresser. I pulled out a grayish-black dress and slipped it over my head. Looking in the mirror, I could see that the fabric wasn't shape-fitting at all, and it was slightly baggy. Oh well. It was my mother's favourite dress from when she was my age, and the only dress I owned.

I pulled my hair up in a messy bun and slipped my feet into some black flats. It didn't look I put much effort into my outfit, which is what I wanted. Everyone else in Two always dresses up for the Reaping like it's an elaborate party or something. And most people have elaborate parties afterward, especially the families of those who were chosen. It's the sickest practice ever.

I walked into the hallway. Cato came out of his room, wearing nice black trousers and a vertically striped white button-down shirt. Well-ironed, I noted. He stopped when he saw me.

"Did you even try to dress up for this?"

"No. Should I have?"

Cato chuckled. "I guess not." He pulled me in for a hug. "You ready for whatever happens today?"

"Sure. Not like anything will happen, though. Don't get your hopes up."

We walked downstairs and outside, hands linked. There was already quite a crowd, even though nothing was happening for about half an hour.

"See you later, Clove." Cato said.

"I plan on it." I said. I released my hold on his hand, and headed towards where all the girls were standing. They were in little clumps, giggling and gossiping about who should be picked.

"It would be a shame if I got reaped," I heard one girl say sarcastically, "And my district partner was that dashing Cato fellow!"

"No, that wouldn't work," I heard another reply, "He has a girlfriend already. The brunette. What did he call her? Clove?"

"No, Clove is his cousin. He told me." the first girl snapped. "Besides, he'd forget all about her after he spent all that time with me!"

After that, I stopped listening to what people were talking about. I just stared ahead at the stage, trying to be invisible. District Two's mayor started reading off a list of past victors from Two. There must have been about fifty. I drowned most of it out, hearing only a few names.

A lady stepped onto the stage, a young lady about thirty wearing an eccentric metallic blue dress and wearing too much makeup. Her hair was a shade of cyan, straight and cut off at her chin. Her eyelashes were so long, I was surprised they didn't fall off her face. She looked unfamiliar. We got a new one every year, because Two is too good to have the same escort every year. This escort tapped the microphone. "Testing…testing… Excellent! Welcome to the District Two Reaping for the 74th annual Hunger Games! I know you're just as excited as I am to hear which of your friends and neighbors will receive the honor to represent District Two this year, so let's get right to it!" She walked over to a big glass bowl. "Let's do the ladies first."

She reached into the bowl, her hand swimming around in the thousands of folded-up papers. Her fingers closed around one and she pulled it out. "Carolyn Abernathy!" she called into the microphone.

_That's me. Huh,_ I thought, _What are the odds?_ Then I realized everyone was looking at me. _Oh. Right. I have to walk up to the stage._ I walked towards the stage, up the stairs, in front of Two's giant population. All at once, I felt very, very self-conscious of my appearance. _Why didn't I fix my hair better this morning? Ack!_

I looked around the crowd, and spotted Cato. He was staring right at me, his expression gloomy and hard. There was a gleam in the corner of one of his eyes. _Was he crying?_

The escort turned to the other bowl, and pulled out a name. "And for the boys… Theo Jones!" A heavy-set guy with spiky brown hair walked up next to me.

"Now, are there any volunteers?"

"I volunteer!" I hear a very familiar voice call. _No, no, no…_

Cato made his way up to the stage. He stood next to the escort.

"And what is your name, sir?" she asked, pushing the microphone in his face.

"Cato. Cato Francisco." he said.

"Well then," the escort said, turning to Theo, "You can go." Theo nodded and walked off the stage. "May I present to you, District Two's tributes for the 74th Hunger Games! Carolyn Abernathy and Cato Francisco!"

"Clove," I mumbled.

"What was that?" she said.

"Oh, I go by Clove." I replied.

"That's fine, dear. Can I get a big hand for Clove and Cato, this year's tributes?" A huge applause flooded Two. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour, tributes!" She turned around, pulling us with her in through big wooden doors. Once alone in a room, I turned on Cato.

"What the hell were you thinking, Cato?"

"I was thinking that you're my only family. And if I lose you, there's no reason to live anyways." I shake my head, my head spinning. "No, listen," he said, "Here's what I'll do. I'm going to keep you alive. That's what I'm going to do. I don't care what happens to me, but I will make sure you live. That you come back here. I promise you that." If he wasn't crying earlier, he was now. And I felt tears trailing down my cheek as well.

"But Cato," I sobbed, "If you die, I won't have anyone to come back to."

"Your aunt—" he started, but I cut him off.

"No. I don't have anything in common with her except my dad. And I barely knew him. So don't tell me I deserve to live any more than you do. If you die, I—" I pulled him in my arms, crying on his shoulder. "Oh, Cato… what did you do? You promised me…You promised me you wouldn't volunteer…"

"I also promised I would see you after the reaping. And I kept that promise." He stroked my hair, which by then was loose on my shoulders.

At that time, our escort came back in the room. "Well, this is exciting!" she exclaimed. "I take it you know each other already?" I nodded, pulling away from Cato and trying in vain to dry my eyes. "That's lovely! My name is Catllyma, and I'll be your escort to the Capitol." She pronounced her name like cat-tell-lima, and with an accent on every one of the vowels she said. "Shall we?" She took our hands and led us out the door she had just appeared out of. It led us to the back of District Two's Justice Building. There was a large train, shiny and grey, sitting there. "This is our train. It will take us to the Capitol. Are you ready?" I nodded my head, and we all walked into a large car near the front of the train.


End file.
